Leadership Performance Under Pressure

 This week launches series 3 of the podcast, starting with 10 episodes with all the wisdom from 7 years of burnout coaching, distilled into the 10 vital powertools YOU need to master recovery from burnout. Follow each weekly episode and practice the techniques you learn, watching your daily stress reduce as your skills build. Today's episode introduces the series and explains what you will ac...

Has someone spoken to you lately in a way that made you feel 'less than'? And - even though what they said wasn't true - you started to believe them? Would you like to be done with the shame, humiliation and embarrassment, and back yourself to the hilt instead? What if you knew that much stronger self-belief had many pleasant side-effects and no downside? Show Notes: Natural Great P...

How do you navigate and survive life's crises during times of extreme burnout? Learn 20 survival skills to restore calm from the paralyzing effects of emotional exhaustion and overwhelm. In 'When Things Fall Apart,' Pema Chodron emphasizes the importance of giving up control and accepting the chaos. Here's how to do that without falling apart yourself! Show Notes When Things Fa...

Had enough of EAPs, management fails and toxic culture? You are not alone, my friend! This is a hot button topic for most of my clients in burnout! Meet Amy Fox, who runs a management consultancy, and helps leaders create a culture that staff never want to leave. This episode is for you if you are on the receiving end of a challenging work culture, either as an employee/contracto r or as a leader...

Learn specific techniques to recharge your energy and beat that overwhelming feeling of burnout. This isn't a luxury - it's vital to your normal functioning. We'll also explore the vicious cycle of anxiety, and some cool breathing exercises to calm your nerves. Plus, real-world tips on managing your time better and reducing stress, encouraging you to make tiny changes for a big impa...

Dr. Jonathan Fisher, a cardiologist from Charlotte and author of "Just One Heart", co-host of the Ending Clinician Burnout Global Summit, focuses on healing the heart in the broadest sense, encompassing both the physical and emotional aspects of cardiac care. Here Dr Jonathan shares many useful insights and tips for taking care of your one precious heart, shielding it from the adverse ef...

It may surprise you to learn that peace is our fundamental natural state. Chronic stress is not! In  burnout, peace is more likely to be painfully elusive. So listen here to discover how to return your shattered mind to a restful and peaceful state. It IS possible to achieve this via meditation, yoga, or escapes into nature - provided you're able to practice those whilst burnt out. Not everyo...

In these challenging and toxic times, our bodies have much innate wisdom to help us heal and thrive. If you haven't been listening and attending to your body's messages, here's how. It's the perfect accompaniment to burnout recovery coaching, reducing stress in the body as you reduce stress in your mind, to stimulate better physical health. ​​​​​​​Listen today for the why and t...

In the depths of our exhaustion in burnout, we often turn our frustration on ourselves, and on others. Unfortunately, this escalates OUR suffering. Learn a better way: giving yourself the gift of releasing judgment. This will free up a lot of good energy in you, that you really need to thrive. It's not our job to police every other human. We're much better if we can return to our good he...

Times are tough in this world of ours. The environment has challenges our ancestors did not have to face. There are many apparent global threats to our wellbeing. Yet recently, voices of research on the human health crisis have become more prominent, finally reaching the US senate in September. I think this is good news! But let's take this personal, and look for a moment at potential impacts...

Humans have many inner mechanisms that try to save our butts when we're going off track. They can attract our attention in painful ways, though, and that's inconvenient, to say the least. But if you know how to decode their messages - impulses that spring up in your mind, body pain, self-criticism and off-key behaviors - you can heal the cause of the problems. Then your burnout will magi...

Compassion is a gift of gentle care that we can offer to ourselves in burnout. When we learn to do this - offer ourselves support in our suffering - it revives our spirits.  Listen for the path to compassion, even when you feel down on yourself and are not seeing yourself as worthy.  Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2hLhWSlOl0 Lissa Rankin MD, TED talk #1 public health issue doctors ar...

One of burnout's devastating effects is to diminish our confidence in ourselves, through constant self-criticism and self-diminishment. When we experience this low self-esteem, we sense a loss of control and our need to be right increases proportionately. Sadly, the way this plays out is often to make us look even less competent in front of our colleagues. Listen in for an easier, better way...

There's something about burnout that grinds us down to a stump, until we have lost energy and hope, and almost stop trying to fix anything. Motivation hits an all-time low. We're missing deadlines right and left. Unfortunately, burnout thrives in this paralysis. To free up energy to make change, we might need a bit of help - from someone who believes in us. I can be that person for you,...

Team leaders: you CAN help prevent your team burning out. Despite years of pioneering work into psychological safety at work, up to 67% of Australian workers felt burnt out in a three month period in 2024. How can this be? If you lead a team and they (or you!) are experiencing burnout, here are my top 10 suggestions to restore balance, wellbeing, resilience and performance.   Show Notes: Good to G...

 If you're flat out disappointed most of the time in burnout, the good news is that this is avoidable.  ​​​​​​​It's within your control to change your experience, because it's your expectations that sow the seeds of disappointment. And many of your expectations are actually redundant - they don't make your life better. Reducing your need for the world to make your life good is...

Becoming your strongest ally is a choice. Many people have not been taught the kind of self-belief that will protect them from burnout for life. Perhaps that's why you're here? I can teach you. Self-belief is a CHOICE, and we can LEARN how to do it. This, more than any other choice we might make, is the gift that keeps on giving and it's never too late. I can't recommend it hig...

Burnout tells us it cannot be redeemed, that our golden days (if we had them!) are over! So here's how to rekindle the flame of your essential goodness post-burnout:  What are the conditions to come back full force, better and stronger, after burnout? What has been lost, what must be regained? The answers may surprise you, because you stand to surpass your previous best and enjoy yourself mor...

The alchemy of transforming  burnout into joy takes a little getting used to. But I cannot otherwise explain the transformation that clients go through, when they come in riddled with negativity, feeling dragged down and lifeless and coming out smiling, cheerful and full of optimism and enthusiasm. So listen in, here is the alchemy, broken down into principles of recovery that just work.  Show Not...

It can be oh-so-tempting to blame others for our burnout blues. Usually, we won't win that fight, and the cost will be more than we can bear, and our despair will increase. Whether others blame us, or we blame others, we might instead extract ourselves from the battle and soothe our bruised souls. Here's how. Show Notes: https://www.burnouttoleadership.com/1849743/15306184-ep-132-extreme...

What you need to know about codependence and its detrimental effects on relationships.  Codependent behaviors stem from fear of rejection and a commensurate need for approval and control, leading to dysfunctional relationship dynamics that impact self-esteem, emotional maturity and connection. It's possible to overcome such behaviors through creating internal safety, learning skills such as e...

Somewhere in the depths of burnout, life may become so dark that we hide our bleak reality from ourselves. As if we're personally bankrupt - our previous capable self no longer available - and we retreat in distress. Happily, burnout is reversible, and the restoration includes your mood, performance, sociability, self-esteem, enthusiasm and all the other good qualities you've hidden in t...

Hannah Holden, a Burnout Prevention expert from UK, speaks about her own burnout experience and how she now works with others. She shares mindfulness and breathing practices for calming the nervous system, being more present with one's children and living a healthier, happier, more purposeful life.  Show Notes: Essential Toolkit for instant calm: https://hannahholden.co.uk/essential https://w...

Let's explore how extreme ownership can help you bounce back from burnout and boost your leadership skills. It's so powerful to own your actions, performance and mistakes, instead of overcommitting or trying to please everyone, or passing the buck.   Understanding the pressures others face can really help with better communication and teamwork, creating a more supportive work environment...

Childhood gave us rules for survival that worked well then, but can be counter-productive in adulthood. At work, our unresolved childhood fears pop up at random and trigger the amygdala, freezing our adult brain. We cannot (in the moment) solve a fear that happened decades ago.  However, coaching is particularly successful in unburdening us of the childhood fears of rejection, abandonment and disa...